It has been nearly three months since Valley Transportation Authority suspended its light rail service after the deadly mass shooting at its San Jose railyard.
But officials with the transit agency said on Tuesday that some service could resume as soon as Saturday, with VTA ready to begin running test trains along its track.
"If all goes well, we will be ready to begin passenger service within a day or two of those successful test runs," Carolyn Gonot, CEO and General Manager of the agency, said.
At first, Gonot said only partial service will be restored "in the most prioritized corridors." Those include Downtown San Jose, as well as the Berryessa and Milpitas BART stations, with an intention to "slowly bring up service" in other areas.
The effort to resume service has been a major undertaking, with an awful lot of work going on behind the scenes.
Gonot said the agency needed to inspect 42 miles of tracks and all 61 of its platforms, as well as re-train and re-certify employees. VTA said it has also provided counseling and mental health services to survivors of the May 26 shooting.
One survivor, Henry Gonzales, died by suicide last week. The Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents VTA employees, criticized the agency last week for taking "no action to address" survivors' grief, mental health and safety. The agency called accusations it was focused on "anything less" than its employees' health and well-being "wholly unfounded."
"They are heroes," Gonot said. "They are survivors, who are dealing with the kind of grief most people will never know."
The agency has pushed back its reopening timeline multiple times, and Gonot said it was "a shame" service didn't resume before the start of the school year.
But this week's test runs along VTA lines will mark a major step forward, and some service will resume before the week is out if all goes well. With that in mind, Gonot issued a note of caution to anyone who has let their guard down over the last few months.
Even though the test trains won't include passengers, the tracks will once again be considered live.
"(It's) critical for anyone near the tracks, or train crossings, to be aware of their surroundings," she said.
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